Colt Pro CRP-18 223/5.56x45mm Semi-Automatic
Competition Rifle

Cleaning kit and instruction manual are contained in
a soft storage case.

Each CCR is accuracy-tested before shipping.

A short section of accessory rail is supplied to
attach to the handguard, if desired.

CCR is shipped with one thirty-round Magpul P-MAG
magazine.

Surefire muzzle brake.

Contrary to what
many politicians would have you to believe, an AR-15 does
have a “legitimate sporting purpose”. The same features that
make an AR-15 a great fighting rifle also make it a great
sporting rifle. An AR is my top choice for hunting
prairie dogs, my top choice for hunting
black bear, and an AR also makes for an excellent deer
hunting rifle. Besides all of that, the AR-15 is the top rifle
choice of the majority of shooters who compete in the popular
sport of three-gun competition.

Colt has been in the AR-15 business for over
fifty years. Their AR-15 rifles have been mostly marketed
towards the military, law enforcement, and to the rest of us who
need a world-class fighting rifle. Now, Colt has fielded a
first-class rifle designed for three-gun and other competitors,
marketed as the Colt Competition Rifle.

The Colt Competition Rifle is Colt’s
attempt at providing the competitor a rifle that is ready to
compete with the best, right out of the box, with only the
addition of a good sight and ammunition. The first thing that I
check on an AR that is marketed to target shooters or hunters is
the trigger, and on the CCR, Colt got it right. The CCR uses a
Geissele SG3 match trigger, and it feels just perfect to me,
releasing with only 3.5 pounds of resistance, as measured with
my Lyman digital gauge. The CCR balances well, weighing in at
seven pounds, seven ounces with an empty P-MAG in place.

The Colt Competition Rifle wears an
eighteen-inch stainless button-rifled barrel with a
one-in-eight-inch twist. The barrel has a unique fluting pattern
to the forward portion of its external surface. The barrel has a
223 Wylde chamber, and is specified to shoot both 223 and
5.56x45mm NATO-spec ammunition. The muzzle is fitted with a
Surefire brake, which incorporates an attachment for their sound
suppressor. Both the upper and lower receivers are machined from
forged aluminum, with the upper having an integral 1913
Picatinny rail. The hand guard measures fifteen inches in
length, and wears a full-length Picatinny rail along the top.
Rail sections can be attached at other points around the hand
guard, and a short section is provided with the rifle. The rifle
also includes one thirty-round Magpul P-MAG magazine, and a
cleaning kit.

The buttstock on the Colt Competition Rifle
is a Magpul CTR six-position adjustable unit, with the pistol
grip and trigger guard also supplied by Magpul. To facilitate
easier charging, the charging handle incorporates a Badger
extended Tac-Latch.

The most unique feature of the Colt
Competition Rifle is the adjustable gas block. Adjustable gas
blocks are usually reserved for gas-piston rifles, but this CCR
uses the Bold Ideas adjustable gas block direct impingement
system. This system allows the shooter to perfectly match his
ammunition to the rifle, bleeding off enough gas to reliably
cycle the action, without beating the rifle. This system is
easily adjusted without tools, and by softening the cycling of
the action, allows the shooter to get back on target quicker
between shots. To tailor the chosen ammo to the rifle, the
shooter closes off the gas system, then opens it slightly, one
step at a time, until the ammunition will reliably lock back the
bolt on an empty magazine. This setting will allow the weapon to
run perfectly, without putting any more stress upon the
components than necessary, and allows for the smoothest
functioning of the weapon. If the rifle gets dry and dirty, the
shooter can quickly open the gas up a bit more to compensate,
keeping the system running reliably under adverse conditions.

For accuracy testing, I mounted my mule; the
Leupold Mark 4 8.5 to 25 power target/tactical scope. This scope
allows me to get all the accuracy that I possibly can out of a
rifle/ammo combination. Velocity testing was done with the
chronograph set out twelve feet from the muzzle at an elevation
of 541 feet above sea level.. Temperatures hovered around the
seventy-seven degree Fahrenheit mark during all velocity
testing, with humidity in the seventy percent range. Velocity
readings are the average of several shots fired, and the results
are listed in the chart below. Velocity readings are listed in
feet-per-second (fps). Bullet weights are listed in grains. FMJ
is a full metal jacket bullet. HP is hollowpoint. V-Max is a
polymer-tipped varmint bullet. TSX is a Barnes Triple Shock
homogenous copper hollowpoint bullet. The handload listed uses
the TSX bullet with 24.5 grains of Ramshot TAC powder, a
Remington small rifle primer, and Winchester commercial .223
Remington cases. Accuracy results are listed below in inches,
and list the smallest and largest groups fired with each type of
ammunition. Accuracy testing was done with the rifle resting in
a Target Shooting, Inc. Model 500 rifle
rest, to eliminate as much shooter error as possible.
Three-shot groups were fired at a distance of 100 yards. The
rifle was allowed to cool between each brand of ammo tested.

Ammunition

Bullet
Weight

Velocity

Accuracy

Stryker
V-Max

55

2924

0.975"
to 1.30"

Lake City
M855

62

3033

0.92 to
1.12"

Hand Load
TSX

62

2802

0.91"
to 1.05"

Winchester
USA FMJ

62

2943

1.20"
to 1.60"

Buffalo
Bore HP

69

2972

0.75"
to 0.875"

Buffalo
Bore HP

77

2778

0.92"
to 1.17"

Black Hills
HP

69

2585

0.875"
to 1.25"

Wolf Gold
HP

75

2613

0.575"
to 0.92"

The Colt Competition Rifle has an accuracy
guarantee of one inch or less for a three-shot group at 100
yards, and the rifle that I have here performed much better than
that. After the accuracy session, I mounted a Leupold
HAMR scope atop the CCR’s receiver. The HAMR is much
better-suited to three-gun style competition than is the Mark 4
scope that I use for accuracy testing. In three-gun, the
competitor might have to engage targets from as close as one
yard out to five hundred or more. The HAMR has four-power
magnification for engaging targets at distance, and a DeltaPoint
electronic dot mounted atop for close-range targets. The HAMR
has an etched-glass reticle that is marked for use at long
range, and is ideally-suited to serve on a fighting rifle, or
for competitive use. Also, the HAMR has an illuminated center
portion of the reticle, for use in low light.

The Colt Competition Rifle proved to be one
hundred percent reliable. It fed, fired, and ejected every
cartridge perfectly. The Colt Competition Rifle has some unique
features that set it apart from other top-end ARs. The rifle is
built right, using premium components, and is one hundred
percent made in the USA. Various models of the Colt Competition
Rifle are also available for sale in states which have
restrictions upon the sale of a normal AR-15.

NOTE: All load data posted on this
web site are for educational purposes only. Neither the author nor
GunBlast.com assume any responsibility for the use or misuse of this data.
The data indicated were arrived at using specialized equipment under
conditions not necessarily comparable to those encountered by the
potential user of this data. Always use data from respected loading
manuals and begin working up loads at least 10% below the loads indicated
in the source manual.

Got something to say about this article?
Want to agree (or disagree) with it? Click the following link to
go to the GUNBlast Feedback Page.

Click pictures for a larger version.

Leupold HAMR is ideal for use on the Colt Competition
Rifle.

The CCR proved to be a very accurate rifle,
especially with Buffalo Bore and Wolf Gold ammunition.